[Seeing the look in Eleanor’s eyes and recalling what Teacher had said about Eleanor also visiting the tavern on Brown Street, Simon thought that Eleanor already suspected he had been the first attacker.]
[However, Simon realized that Eleanor didn’t seem to know he was a Transcendent. Otherwise, she would be looking at him a little more as an equal. Her gaze would have gone from looking at a curly-haired baboon to looking at a golden retriever.]
Eleanor really did suspect him. Elisa wasn’t surprised at all. In fact, she thought Eleanor had figured out surprisingly little. She hadn’t even realized that her male servant was a Transcendent.
She looked at Eleanor. Those black eyes were fixed on her with an enigmatic smile, as though Eleanor had uncovered her secret as well.
Elisa knew she was bluffing. Eleanor only suspected her male servant, so how could she possibly know anything about me?
I should look confused.
Elisa blinked, putting on a slightly puzzled expression.
Sure enough, Eleanor stopped probing her.
She turned around, took a card from the maid behind her, and handed it to Simon. “Mr. Simon, this is for you.”
Simon looked at Elisa. Only after Elisa nodded did he accept the card and thank Eleanor.
Elisa sighed inwardly. This male servant doesn’t actually respect me in the slightest, but at least he knows how to make me look good in public.
Even if he hadn’t asked for my approval and had simply accepted Eleanor’s gift, I wouldn’t have said anything.
…Why does this feel so much like those henpecked husbands in the Archipelago? Out in public, the wife is sweet and meek as a kitten, but the moment they get home, she glares at her husband and yanks him by the ear.
Am I playing the role of the spineless husband here?
Not daring to glare at her male servant, Elisa instead shot the screen a vicious glare.
Glaring at her male servant might tip him off and lower his intimacy for her… That would make her even more like a spineless husband!
Elisa spent two seconds praying for all the spineless husbands in the world before turning to see what Eleanor had given Simon.
It was a card made of paper, stamped with a blue-purple postmark and a royal crest, with the male servant’s name written on it.
It was a gun permit!
With this permit, he could carry a gun on him without worrying about being stopped and searched by patrol officers on the street!
How nice. I want one too. Getting one requires the signature of a high-ranking police or military official, so unless you have the right connections, they’re extremely difficult to obtain. Of everyone I know right now, Eleanor is probably the only one who could get me one.
Damn it, aren’t we good sisters? Why did you only give one to my male servant and not me?
No, if she actually gave me one, I’d probably panic instead and start wondering whether I’d been exposed.
After composing herself, Elisa glanced at the [Simon’s Log].
[Simon accepted Miss Eleanor’s gift. His favorability toward Eleanor increased, and he felt a trace of guilt toward Miss Elisa.]
[Intimacy +1]
It’s fine if your favorability toward Eleanor goes up, but stop increasing your intimacy with me!
I don’t want to be a spineless husband!
[Simon looked at his firearms permit and breathed in the scent of fresh ink, feeling delighted.]
[Brand-New Firearms Permit.jpg]
Stop taking pictures just to show off to me!
Suppressing her jealousy, Elisa took Eve with her and followed Mabel and Eleanor upstairs. The upper floor was reserved for the young ladies’ private gathering, so male servants could only remain downstairs.
Upon entering the second-floor parlor, Elisa saw the other young ladies attending the gathering.
Just as I thought, this really is a small gathering. Aside from me, Eleanor, and Mabel, there are only three others. And one of those three is someone I know… she attended my literary salon before.
What was her name again? Right, she was mentioned in the log. Eleanor’s follower, Miss Lillian.
Before Eleanor could introduce her, Elisa called out Miss Lillian’s name, eagerly awaiting her reaction.
Lady Helen told me that remembering the name of a young lady you’ve only met once before earns you a lot of points.
However, Miss Lillian merely looked up at her without any reaction. She even frowned slightly.
Instead, it was Eleanor who was surprised that Elisa remembered so clearly, earning her some points with Eleanor.
Elisa sat down on the sofa, wondering how she had offended Miss Lillian. Everything had seemed perfectly normal at the literary salon.
Damn it, why aren’t male servants allowed at private gatherings between young ladies?!
If my male servant were here, he’d definitely know the answer!
Frustrated, Elisa opened [Simon’s Log].
[Among the maids at the manor, Simon spotted Ruth, Little Beth’s older sister. Sure enough, Eleanor was still concerned about that case in the East District, which was why she had specifically hired Ruth as a maid. He went over to speak with Ruth.]
Why are you flirting with another maid?!
Is there seriously nothing else in your life besides maids?!
[Faced with Simon, the maid Ruth remained extremely aloof.]
Well done, Miss Ruth! This male servant is no good. You need to reject him mercilessly!
[Simon changed the subject, chatting about tedious rules, overly critical superiors, and the cliques and exclusion among the maids. Ruth deeply related to what he was saying, lowered her guard, and confided in Simon about the pressure she was under.]
“……?”
Could you at least hold out for a few more paragraphs?! You were acting all aloof just one line ago, and now you’ve already lowered your guard?!
[Using words that were both humorous and philosophical, Simon spoke to her in a fatherly tone, helping Ruth work through what was troubling her and teaching her how to fit in with the group. Ruth was deeply moved.]
[The Busty Maid Ruth.jpg]
Bastard! I don’t want to see this!
I worked so hard grinding intimacy to unlock this feature, so why has it turned into your commemorative maid photo album?!
[After saying goodbye to Ruth, Simon spotted Julia again. Mabel’s housekeeper looked a little embarrassed, having told Simon far too much about her troubles the last time they were at the picnic estate.]
Why does this have a continuing storyline?!
What’s next, [Busty Julia]?
Fuming, Elisa closed the [Male Servant’s Womanizing Log] and focused on joining the young ladies’ conversation.
The conversation mostly revolved around entertainment, with the occasional discussion of current affairs mixed in. Those topics were all matters with widespread impact, so even Elisa had heard about them and was able to join the discussion.
As they talked, Miss Elisa diligently gathered information.
At this gathering, Eleanor and Mabel were still the center of attention. Things said by the other three young ladies were often overlooked, but every single thing Eleanor and Mabel said received a response.
Looking back, no matter whether the gathering was large or small, Eleanor and Mabel always seemed to hold the highest status.
Was it because they only invited people of lower status than themselves? That seemed impossible. Lady Helen had said during her etiquette lessons that high society loved digging up gossip more than anything. If Eleanor and Mabel really did that, rumors would definitely have spread.
Then there was only one possibility: Mabel and Eleanor held extremely high status. Within their social circle, it was simply difficult to encounter anyone of higher standing, which was why things always turned out this way.
As expected of me. I managed to snag two trump cards right from the start!
Elisa was in a wonderful mood. It would have been even better if Miss Lillian weren’t looking at her with such hostility and if her male servant could behave himself for once.
She picked up her tea and, while she was at it, opened [Simon’s Log].
[Simon had brief conversations with seven of the manor’s maids before stopping to take a break and have some tea.]
Seven maids? There are only six young ladies upstairs altogether!
[Through those conversations, Simon confirmed that discipline at the manor had been unusually strict lately. His speculation at the entrance might actually be correct. He hoped Miss Elisa would handle the situation appropriately.]
“…….?!”
What?! What did I miss?! What speculation? What am I supposed to handle?!
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